A strategic, client-focussed thought leader with in-depth banking expertise, skilled at identifying and exploiting emerging technologies, and with a proven track record of advising FinTechs on positioning propositions to leading banks by demonstrating speed and ease of implementation, reduced complexity, and return on investment

Career & Key Achievements to Date

Executive VP, Head of Digital & Cloud Transformation, EMEA & xLabs | Account Director | Various 2000-date Virtusa, UK (2015-date) | Polaris Consulting & Services, UK (2000-2015)

Current Responsibilities & Customer Interactions
• Executive VP for Virtusa, winning, developing and delivering award-winning digital and cloud transformations
• Controls a digital portfolio of US$250 million and manages a 6-x revenue pipeline with a win-rate of more than 50%

• Liaises with the Senior Executives of client companies to analyse their business needs and design optimal solutions
• Creates business cases with ROI from business agility, cost reduction, increased productivity & operational resilience

• Collaborates extensively with FinTechs and with major hyperscaler partners including AWS, Microsoft and Google
• Manages a highly talented global team of Enterprise Architects and Digital Engineers, crafting cutting-edge solutions

• Extensive experience of working with Top Tier banks such as Citi, JPMC, HSBC, Santander LBG, ENBD, ANZ, and CBA
• Strong exposure to policymakers & multilateral agencies such as the Monetary Authority of Singapore & World Bank Key Engagements
• Key player in delivering the first cross-border, open-architecture API marketplace platform for MAS, World Bank
• Partnered with Emirates NBD to build an Open Banking Developer Portal to quickly integrate FinTech solutions to core

• Devised a Digital Middleware platform for a leading US bank to support resilient, event-driven architecture on Cloud

• Developed a Payment Decisioning Engine for a high street bank to enable evidence-based decisions on credit limits
• Created a cutting-edge digital infrastructure to enable banks to adopt standards-driven Open Banking (UK, EU, ANZ)

• Built a platform for a global bank, using AI to identify the optimal products for customers and thus increase revenue

• Delivered innovative Proof of Value solutions using Blockchain for enterprise customers including Citi, JPM and CBA

• Created a Proof of Trust protocol for a start-up to provide outside information to SmartContracts and raise funding

Recent Awards & Unique Assets built
• Finalist for the Microsoft Application Innovation Award for a payment modernisation solution for BNY Mellon, 2020 • Won the BIS-SWIFT Innovation Award for a machine learning solution for smoothing international payments, 2021
• Developed an award-winning Open Innovation Platform (OIP) now adopted across the globe to foster modernisation • OIP has supported hundreds of experiments including establishing a Digital Bank and a Cryptocurrency Exchange
• Built a system with 10M synthetic customer records & 500M transactions to simulate banking product processors
• Produced Trend Almanacs & Research Papers on topics from 5G to Nano-Personalisation, raising the Virtusa profile Previous Roles
• Senior VP and Account Director with Polaris Consulting and Services prior to the acquisition by Virtusa (2009-2015)
• Held a range of positions with Polaris including Head of Solutions - Insurance, and Principal Consultant (2000-2009)

Key Skills & Competencies

•  Notable business strategy and development expertise

•  Vast business analysis & solutions development skills

•  Project management and Agile methodology acumen

•  Excellent Cloud, Artificial Intelligence & Big data skills

•  Outstanding Fintech and banking expertise

•  Client, vendor and stakeholder relationship expertise

•  Highly influential, innovative and encouraging leader

•  Strategic, analytical thinker with clear business vision

•  Shrewd and incisive decision-maker & problem-solver

•  Talent for identifying and capitalising on opportunities

•  Inherent drive, flair, and readiness for any challenge

•  Natural ability to engage across all levels and cultures

Qualifications

Engineer’s Degree in Electrical & Electronics, SASTRA, Thanjavur, India, 1993-1997